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Costco U.S. comp sales up nearly 15% in September

Fresh foods turn in mid- to high-single-digit gains chainwide

Russell Redman

October 7, 2021

2 Min Read
Costco shopping cart-handle closeup.jpg
Overall, Costco's net sales climbed 15.8% to $19.5 billion in September.Costco

Costco Wholesale maintained double-digit U.S. comparable-sales growth excluding fuel in September, with net sales in line with sequential and year-over-year gains.

For the five weeks ended Oct. 3, net sales climbed 15.8% to $19.5 billion from $16.84 billion a year earlier, Costco reported yesterday after the market close. That compared with increases of 16.2% for August and 16.9% in September 2020.

Comparable-club sales during the September selling period rose 14.3% overall and were up 9.4% excluding the impact of changes in fuel prices and foreign exchange (FX) rates. By business unit, comp sales advanced 14.6% in the United States (10% excluding fuel and FX), 14.9% in Canada (7.3% excluding fuel and FX) and 12% internationally (8% excluding fuel and FX). 

September e-commerce sales increased 10.6% on a comparable basis and were up 9.6% excluding FX, compared with a gain of 90.3% (90.1% excluding FX) in the year-ago period.

“Our comp traffic, or frequency, for September was up 7.2% worldwide and up 7.4% in the U.S.,” David Sherwood, assistant vice president of finance and investor relations at Costco, said in a phone report late Wednesday. “Worldwide, the average transaction for September was up 6.6%, which included the positive impacts from gasoline inflation and FX,” he added.

Related:Costco adds to last year’s pandemic-driven gains in fiscal 2021

Gasoline price inflation lifted Costco’s overall comp sales by about 3.8% in September, according to Sherwood. “The average selling price was 41% higher year over year, at $3.38 per gallon this year compared to $2.40 last year,” he said.

Among Costco’s core merchandise categories, food and sundries generated mid- to high-single-digit comp sales growth (excluding a positive impact from FX) in September, with sundries and candy the strongest segments, Sherwood reported. Led by the service deli and bakery, fresh foods also tallied mid- to high-single-digit comp sales gains. Home furnishings, jewelry, tires and garden were the better-performing segments in nonfoods, which saw comp sales rise by low double digits. And continuing their recovery from the pandemic closures, ancillary business comp sales jumped by low to mid-40s, with gas, food court, optical and pharmacy the top performers for the month.

“U.S. regions with the strongest sales were Texas, the Southeast and San Diego,” Sherwood said. “In other international and local currencies, we saw the strongest results in Mexico, the U.K. and Japan.”

Costco closed out the September sales period with 817 warehouse clubs overall, compared with 796 a year earlier. By market, the retailer operates 565 clubs in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, 105 in Canada, 39 in Mexico, 30 in Japan, 29 in the United Kingdom, 16 in Korea, 14 in Taiwan, 13 in Australia, three in Spain and one each in Iceland, France and China. Costco also has e-commerce sites in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Mexico, Korea, Taiwan, Japan and Australia.

Related:Costco pilots grocery delivery with Uber

About the Author

Russell Redman

Senior Editor
Supermarket News

Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tour with the publication. In his current role, he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine, as well as participates in special projects, podcasts and webinars and attends industry events. Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines, where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years, covering the food/drug/mass retail sector. 

Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager, editor, reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries, including retailing, pharmacy/health care, IT, digital home, financial technology, financial services, real estate/commercial property, pro audio/video and film. He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor, covering community news and politics in Long Island, N.Y. His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a B.A. in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016.

Russell Redman’s experience:

Supermarket News - Informa
Senior Editor 
April 2018 - present

Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher Press
Desk/Online Editor 
Sept. 2008 - March 2018

CRN magazine - CMP Media
Managing Editor
May 2000 - June 2007

Bank Systems & Technology - Miller Freeman
Executive Editor/Managing Editor
Dec. 1996 - May 2000

Supermarket News - Fairchild Publications
Financial Editor/Associate Editor
April 1995 - Dec. 1996 

Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC 
Desk Editor/Assistant Editor
Dec. 1992 - April 1995

Testa Communications
Assistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)
Jan. 1991 - Dec. 1992 

American Banker/Bond Buyer
Copy Editor
Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991 

This Week newspaper - Chanry Communications
Reporter/Editor
May 1989 - July 1990

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